What if my horse doesn’t like Reiki? – by Sarah Berrisford

When we picture sharing Reiki with our equine friends, we often imagine a perfect scenario. A beautiful, strong being standing next to us, both immersed in peaceful energy. But what happens when this picture doesn’t come into fruition? Many people are unsure of what to do when they think their horse may not want Reiki, so here is a quick guide to help.

When giving a horse Reiki I like to say “take as much or as little energy as you would like”. This is simply being polite; the horse will take as much energy as he needs. You can’t force Reiki on any animal. They can quite easily block the energy. If a horse blocks the Reiki energy, you will most likely feel a connection to Reiki, however, the energy may not seem to flow. You might also sense that the horse is not connecting.

It isn’t normal for any animal to block energy; they share energy with each other and read all species energies. There is usually something else going on if you feel that the horse is blocking you.

Here are the main reasons why you may find a horse is blocking energy or not connecting to you:

Over excited and doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to come down from that state of mind and body.

Pressure. Particularly when treating your own horse, you can find that you ‘really’ want to connect. This feeling of needing and wanting, focusing all of your attention on the horse and his reactions, can make the horse want to keep his distance from what you are doing.

Has something else taking priority, for example, food.

There are a few simple methods that you can use if you find that a horse isn’t connecting.

We can simply visualise a ball of energy in the same area as the horse. Perhaps make a ball of energy in the corner of his stable and use your intent to say ‘the horse can connect to this whenever he is ready’. Spend at least 20 minutes sending Reiki to this beautiful ball of energy, making it powerful yet calm and a nice place to be. Often you will find that the horse connects during the time that you are building the energy ball.

Give the horse time – remember that it can take 15-20 minutes for the horse to connect, don’t be in a rush for reactions and connections, let them happen as they need to.

Do Reiki on yourself. Perhaps use the Hatsurei exercise for 10-15 minutes. Pay no attention to the horse whatsoever, whilst carrying out this exercise. By following this method you will find that the horse is interested in what you are doing because there is no focus on him.The horse is inquisitive and at some point during the meditation you will most likely feel him connect in to share Reiki.

When you are sharing Reiki with the horse, don’t worry about how he is reacting; many people focus too much on looking to see if the horse is relaxing into the treatment. Instead, focus on feeling the beautiful two way connection of energy, flowing between yourself and the horse.

Many younger horses and first time Reiki horses, won’t relax quite so much or they will go into a trance for a few minutes and then wake up and so on. This is completely normal. You will tend to find that these horses will soak up the energy once the treatment has finished and if you go and check in on them 10 minutes after the session has ended, they will probably be asleep.

So remember, if you hear someone say “my horse doesn’t like Reiki” or you are having issues sharing Reiki with your own horse; follow the guidelines above. As your treatments progress and the horse becomes used to receiving Reiki treatments you will find that he will begin to relax and connect as soon as you start the Reiki flowing.

Interested in learning more about Equine Reiki?

Sarah Berrisford specialises in writing about and teaching Equine and Animal Reiki. If you’re interested in learning more about working with horses and other animals, then follow these links: